Atelier 17 was an art school and studio that was influential in the teaching and promotion of

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...

in the 20th century. Originally located in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, the studio relocated to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

during the years surrounding

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It moved back to Paris in 1950.

History

The Atelier 17 studio was formed as an experimental workshop for the graphic arts in Paris, France in 1927 by Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988). The studio was known for its collaborative atmosphere, with artists sharing ideas on technique and aesthetics. The studio was located at 17 rue Campagne-Première in Paris. By 1940 the studio's founder, Hayter, left Paris as World War II was starting. He moved to New York City and reopened his Atelier 17 studio there. Originally connected to the

New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

, by 1945 the studio was located as East 8th Street. The studio attracted many European artists who had fled from Europe and also introduced American artists to fine art printmaking. Hayter moved his studio back to Paris in 1950 where it continued to operate until Hayter's death in 1988. That year the studio was renamed Atelier Contrepoint and remains active.

Techniques

Atelier 17 artists worked with established and experimental techniques including multi-color printing and textured patterns. Among the techniques used were aquatint, color

offset printing Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on ...

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

, the ''Grible Method'', liftground,

line engraving Line engraving is a term for engraved images printed on paper to be used as prints or illustrations. The term is mainly used in connection with 18th- or 19th-century commercial illustrations for magazines and books or reproductions of paintings ...

, and mezzotint.

Artists associated with Atelier 17

The catalogue for the Atelier 17 50th anniversary retrospective includes the names of artists who worked at Atelier 17.

Paris (1927-1939)

New York (1940-1955)

Legacy

Atelier 17 and artists associated with it have been the subject of several comprehensive exhibitions, notably ''Atelier 17: a 50th anniversary retrospective exhibition'' at the Elvehjem Art Center of the University of Wisconsin in 1977, ''Atelier 17'' at the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Cro ...

in 1978, ''Workshop and Legacy: Stanley William Hayter, Krishna Reddy, Zarina Hashmi'' at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in 2016, and ''Cutting Edge:Modern Prints from Atelier 17'' at the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...